In the Fall 2023 and Spring 2025 semesters, I designed a graduate-level Social and Political Philosophy course at Texas State University that deviates from traditional syllabi. Influenced by Alain Badiou, the course critiques the notion of political philosophy as neutral and often aligned with American liberalism, tracing these issues back to historical antecedents like McCarthyism. The course employs Karl Jaspers's Axial Age hypothesis, focusing on philosophical developments during 8th-3rd century BCE across different traditions, encouraging students to explore essential themes such as justice and the individual-community dynamic.
The ongoing impact of McCarthyism has led professional philosophy to often serve as an apologia for American liberalism, commodifying barren ideas in the marketplace.
To retrieve the original Socratic mission, philosophical education must engage critically and subversively, challenging the conventions fiercely guarded by society.
The course's historical scope uses Jaspers's Axial Age hypothesis, focusing on philosophical innovations around 8th-3rd century BCE across various cultures.
By adopting a comparative approach, the course highlights shared politico-philosophical concerns such as justice, freedom, and individual-community relationships.
#political-philosophy #social-philosophy #comparative-philosophy #higher-education #philosophical-critique
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